starmer



June 15 1926.

M. STARMER BELT BUCKLE Filed May 15 1925 ficij,

INVENTOR //77R)S779/?//ER BY Q p M ATTORNEY Patented June 15, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

MARY STARMER, or NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

BELT BUCKLE.

' a lication filed May 15, 1925. Serial No. 30,534;

The invention relates to buckles for use on apparel belts worn by either men or women, and the buckle isespecially adapted for use as a combined fastener by means of 6 whiclrthe ends of the belt may be securely connected, and a watch chain or other chain of similar nature may be fastened to the buckle. By the utilization of my invention a reliable buckle conn ction is provided, the construction of the buckle is simplified and its cost of production reduced, and a loss preventing device is secured to insure safety for the watch chain or other chain that may be worn by the '15 'wearer of the belt and its buckle.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts in the buckle and with the connector for the belt used with the buckle as will hereinafter be more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure l is a front view showing a portion of an apparel belt and the buckle em- 30 bodying the principles of my invention.

Figure 2' is a view at the inner side of the buckle and connected belt ends, illustrating a watch chain suspended from the buckle.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the buckle and showing the relation of the belt ends thereto.

Figure 4 is an inner side view of thebuckle.

In order that the general arrangement of parts may be understood I have indicated in Figure 1 the two connected ends A and B of a belt that may be used by either men or women and fashioned of any suitable material. The buckle for connecting the ends is designated as a whole by the numeral 7 1, and the buckle for adjusting the length of the belt is indicated as a whole by the numeral 2.

The main belt buckle 1 and the adjusting buckle 2 may be fashioned in suitable manner from any approved material in various sizes and shapes, and ornamented as desired, it being understood that the members illustrated are of conventional type.

The buckle is preferably fashioned with an upper flange 3' extending its full length at the back thereof, and a lower or bottom flange 4 which extends from one end and terminates short of the. other end for a pur pose to be described. I I

The endA of the belt is fastened to the buckle by means of a toothed clamping jaw 5 which. is pivoted at 6 in the upper and lower flanges at the back of the buckle, and the belt end B is detachably connected to the buckle by. means of the belt-connector comprising a vertical, rectangular shaped anchoring loop 7 and a shorterfastening loop 8.. This detachable belt connector may be made up of wire or it may be stamped to shape from suitable-material and is secured at the looped end of the. belt, as B by means of its anchoring loop '7, in QO11116C' tion with the adjusting buckle 2.

At the rear of the buckle 1 is arranged the complementary fastening device for the fastening loop 8, and this dcvice includes an upper longitudinally extending tongue 9 spaced parallel with the buckle, and as here shown fashioned as a part of a back plate be understood that they may be attached to the buckle in other ways to form a rigid structure therewith. The two spaced tongues 9 and 11 form the fastening hook on the buckle for the complementary fastening loop 8 of the belt connector, and itwill be apparent from the drawings that the fastening is made by slipping the fastening loop over the free ends of the spaced parallel tongues 9 and 11 so that the anchoring loop 7 will lie fiat adjacent to the rear of the buckle and within the outer edges of the top and bottom flanges of the buckle.

The fastening loop is of proper size to embrace the two spaced tongues forming the fastening hook and by the co-action of the loop and hook the buckle connection is' properly secured against displacement of the parts.

The chain retaining bar 13 is adapted to receive a watch chain or other chain as 15 which is looped or otherwise secured thereon. It will be noted that the tongue ll is slightly longer than its complementary tongue 9 in order that the looped chain may he slipped over the tongue 11 with greater facility than if the two tongues were of the same length. Thus the i0 ped chain is slipped over the free end of the tongue 1.1, before the belt connection is mace, and the loop of the chain is passed around the intermediate bar 12 and slipped on the chain retaining bar 18. Lhen the fastening loop slipped over the fastening hook, and it will be apparent that the anchoring loop 7 which lies against the chain retaining bar 13 forms with that bar a pocket as 16 to confine the looped chain on the chain retaining bar for the purpose of preventing loss by remo al 0r displacement of the chain from is retaining bar.

It will be noted that the bottom flange 4: of the buckle is cut away or terminates short of the chain retaining bar to form a space 17, and as the chain retaining bar is located above the lower edge of the buckle it will be obvious that the chain i free to dangle in and through this space while its point of suspension is invisible. The buckle thus affords a combined fastener for the belt and for supporting the watch chain and presents a neat and attractive appearance.

In some instances it may be desirable to suspend the watch chain by its snap ring from the inner side of the buckle, and for this purpose I arovide a lug 18 which is stamped from the toothed fastening jaw 5 of the buckle. The lug is fashioned with a hole or perforation 19 and it projects from the fastening jaw in such manner that the ring may be snapped on the perforated lug to form a secure fastening for the end of the chain.

While I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention it will be understood that various changes and alterations may be made in the illustrated device, within the scope of my appended claims, Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what- I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. A buckle having a rigid longitudinally disposed structure comprising a fastening tongue having a free end, a chain retaining bar having one end fixed to said buckle, and an intermediate bar, connecting the tongue and chain retaining bar, forming a substantially S-shape.

2. A buckle having a pair of spaced tongues with free ends and forming a fastening hook, one of said tongues having a soaced chain retainin bar secured to the buckle and a bar intermediate of the latter bar and tongue connecting the. tongue and chain retaining bar.

2-3. A. buckle having a pair of spaced tongues forming a fastening hook, a fastening loop, and one of said tongues "a iioned to form a chain retaining eye in combination with said loop.

4-. A buckle having an upper flange, and a lower flange cut away to form a space, a pair of integral tongues forming a fastening hook, a fastening loop on said hook, one of said tongues having a chain retaining bar above said space, and an integral bar intermediate the tongue and retaining bar.

MARY STARMER. 

